led in my face
as he handed me back that empty envelope inscribed with the wild appeal,
'Is it you?' was the man I had once driven to the verge of the grave and
who had come back now to destroy us all.

"Yet, such is the reaching out of the drowning for straws, I did not
utterly despair till Nixon brought me from this man's lodging-house,
where I had sent him, a specimen of his handwriting.

"Nixon is the only confidant I have had. Nixon knew me as a girl when he
worked in my uncle's home, and has always had the most unbounded, I may
say jealous, affection for me. To him I had dared impart that I did not
trust your new secretary; that he looked like a man I once knew who
was a determined opponent of the party now trying to elect you; that a
specimen of his writing would make me quite sure, and begged him to get
it. I thought he might pick up such in the little office below, but he
was never able to do so--Mr. Steele has taken care not to leave a line
written in this house--but he did find a few lines signed with his name
in his own room at the boarding-house, and these he showed me before he
told me the result of his errand. They settled all doubts. What is to be
my fate? Surely this man has no real claim on me, after all these
years, when I thought myself your true and honest wife. He may ruin your
campaign, defeat your hopes, overwhelm me with calumny and a loss of
repute, but surely, surely he can not separate us. The law will not
uphold him in that; will it, Henry? Say that it will not, say--oh, say
that--it--will not--do--that, or we shall live to curse the day, not
when we were born; but when our little innocent child came to us!"

CHAPTER XXV. THE FINGER ON THE WALL. At this appeal the mayor rose and
faced his secretary and the spectacle was afforded me of seeing two
strong men drawn up in conflict over a woman both had cherished above
all else. And it was characteristic of the forceful men, as well as
the extreme nature of the conflict, that both were quiet in manner
and speech--perhaps the mayor the more so, as he began the struggle by
saying:

"Is what Mrs. Packard says of your playing with her fears during these
two weeks true, Mr. Steele?"

Without a droop of his eye, or a tremor in his voice, the answer came
short, sharp and emphatic:

"Yes."

"Then, you are a villain! and I shall not feel myself called upon to
show you any consideration beyond what justice demands. Have you
any plea to urge